Article support



Dec. 3, 1963 A. ALVAREZ ARTICLE SUPPORT Filed une 14. 1962 s2 ZHSheets-Sheet 2 30 i INVENTOR. Alfie/13a A: meg z Anya/5Y5.

United States Patent 3,112,912 ARTICLE SUPPORT Alfonso Alvarez, 204 Bellevue Ave., Upper Montclair, NJ. Filed June 14, 1962-, Ser. N0..202,479

1 Claim. (Cl. 24s 223 This invention relates to an article support and has as its primary object the provision of an improved sheet or board provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed inclined grooves in which various article supports may be adjustably fitted.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such a board which may be made in a plurality of sizes, and which, if desired, may cover an entire wall surface in an ornamental and decorative manner which is pleasing to the eye, and which is, at the same time, useful in providing an adjustable supporting surface for a wide variety of articles such as shelves, easel brackets, poles, or other desired articles to be supported. This sheet or board also forms the finished surface of the wall or can be applied" over an existing surface or wall. 1

A further object of the invention is the provision of a board of this character which may be readily constructed from fiberboard, plywood, extruded aluminum sheeting, plastic, or any other suitable material.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of a plurality of adjustable supports adapted particularly to engage the board of the instant invention which will support a wide variety of articles at substantially any transverse or vertical position desired.

Still other objects reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein there are shown preferred embodiments of this inventive concept.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form and size of board embodying the instant inventive concept.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the board of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows, certain supporting brackets being illustrated thereon in dotted lines.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the section of FIGURE 3 showing the article supports in full lines.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view through the board showing one form of bracket, an easel support carried thereby.

FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of the structure of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 discloses another form of bracket in side elevation, the board being shown in section, in this case a shelf support.

FIGURE 8 is a front elevational view of the structure of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view through the board disclosing a pole support.

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of the support of FIGURE 9, the pole being shown in section.

FIGURE 11 is a view similar to FIGURE 9 but showing an opposite bracket of a different type.

FIGURE 12 is a plan view of the device of FIGURE 11, the pole being shown in section.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view of the board disclosing in section a mat, mirror, or picture support, parts thereof being broken away; and

FIGURE 14 is a front plan view of the structure of FIGURE 13.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, there is generally indicated at 10 one form of board constructed in accordance with the instant invention. The board includes a sheet 11 of plywood, fiberboard, extruded aluminum, plastic, or other suitable material which is provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed grooves 12 extending the full width thereof, and inclined downwardly and inwardly as best seen in FIGURE 3, to provide a support for a plurality of articles carried thereby.

The board as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 may be of any desired size, and may be surrounded by an appropriate frame 13, if desired, however if it is desired to panel the entire side of a room with the board, the frame may be omitted for the sake of symmetry and enhanced appearance.

The grooves 12 extend inwardly and downwardly at substantially a. 45 angle and are adapted for the reception of a variety of supports, such for example, as the hook indicated at 14 in FIGURES 3 and 4. This type of support includes a face plate 15 having a tongue struck outwardly therefrom as at 16 and thence bent upwardly as at 17 and provides a hook or supporting surface for any desired article. The upper end of the device of FIGURE 14 is bent inwardly and downwardly as indicated at 18, as is the lower end indicated at 19. The upper and lower ends are spaced apart and inclined in exact conformity to the spacing of the grooves 12, and fit securely thereinto, so that the support or hook may hold a relatively heavy weight in accordance with the actual strength of the material thereof, the ends 18 and 19 with their engagement in any of the grooves 12 being adequate to prevent slippage or sliding of the device. Obviously, the support 14 may be positioned in any two adjacent grooves at any desired height, and may be moved laterally along such grooves to any desired horizontal position.

Another type of support is disclosed at 20, which includes a plate'21 having its upper and lower ends inclined as at 22 and 23, to engage in a pair of adjacent grooves 12, and including an additional plate 24 which has a horizontal outwardly extended flange 25 thereon, for the support of any desired article 26, such as a shelf or the like.

FIGURES 5 and 6 disclose an easel support, generally indicated at 30, which includes a plate 31 having upper and lower tongues 32 and 33 which fit in grooves 12, but are so spaced as to skip a central groove, and having a vertical portion 34 firmly secured to the plate 31, which extends into a horizontal easel supporting base 35 and terminates in an angularly inclined outer leg 36.

FIGURES 7 and 8 disclose a shelf support, which includes a horizontal member 37 having an upturned end 38 and a downwardly turned inner end 39 secured to a plate 49 which has upper and lower inclined angularly disposed tongues 41 and 42 engageable in adjacent grooves 12. An angularly disposed brace 43 has a horizontal portion 44 secured to the undersurface of horizontal portion 37, and a vertical portion 45 which is secured to a second supporting plate 46 which has offset angularly inclined tongues 47 and 48 substantially identical to the tongues 41 and 42 to afford four points of engagement for adequate support of a shelf supported along the top mem ber 37.

FIGURES 9 and 10 disclose a pole support which includes a plate 50 having upper and lower inclined tongues 51 and 52 identical to the tongues 47 and 48 engaged in adjacent grooves 12 on a board 11. In this case a vertical plate member 53 is secured in any desired manner as by welding or the like in the event that metal is used, or by adhesive in the event of plastic and fiberglass, which has at its lower end a horizontally extending portion 53' which terminates in an upright projection 54. The projection 3 14 extends through an opening in one end of a closed pole 56 or the like.

A modified form of pole support is disclosed in FIG- URES 11 and 12 wherein a plate 60 is provided with upper and lower tongues 61 and 62 engaging in grooves 12 as in the preceding modification. In this form of the invention a plate 63 is secured to the plate 60 and includes a horizontally outwardly extending portion 64, which terminates in a pair of oppositely disposed fingers 65 which extend on opposite sides of a pole 66, the support afforded being substantially the same as that of the preceding modification.

FIGURES 13 and 14 disclose a still further modified form of the invention which may be employed in the support of pictures, maps, mirrors, or similar articles. In this form of the invention, a plate is provided with upper and lower tongues 71 and 72 which engage in adjacent grooves 12, and secured to the outer side of plate 70 is an inverted channel-shaped frame member 73. The channel-shaped frame member 73 may be of any desired length, in accordance with the article which is to be supported, in the illustrative embodiment, a mat 74. The upper edge of the mat 74 engages in the inverted channel-shaped member 73, while the lower edge engages in a U-shaped upright channel member 75, which is otherwise substantially identical to the channel 73 and which is secured to a plate 76 having upper and lower fingers 77 and 78 engaging in adjacent slots 12. Obviously, the channels 73 and may be spaced any desired distance apart, and any suitable number of plates 70 and 76 may be allixed thereto in accordance with the length of the channel members. By this arrangement pictures, mirrors,, maps or the like, of any desired size, length or height, may be readily and expeditiously supported.

In the foregoing there has been illustrated several embodiments of article supporting means employed with the board of the instant invention, and it is to be understood that these are merely illustrative of a wide variety of articles supporting members which may be readily secured to the board with a minimum of effort and difficulty, which may be equally readily removed, replaced, and adjusted, thus providing a highly versatile surface for the support of virtually any type, size, shape, or configuration of article.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided a new and improved article support which accomplishes all the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

1 claim:

An article support comprising a unitary plywood board having a plurality of equidistantly spaced parallel horizontal grooves therein inclined inwardly and downwardly at an angle of approximately 45 and an article carricr including a face plate having an article supporting tongue struck outwardly from the center of the top thereof and extending forwardly, and a pair of rearwardly and downwardly extending tongues bent from the top of the plate on opposite sides of the first-mentioned tongue and inclined at an angle of approximately 45 engaging in an upper groove, the lower end of said face plate being bent inwardly and downwardly at an angle of approximately 45 and extending in parallel to said pair of tongues to engage in an adjacent lower groove the height of said face plate between the bend forming the pair of tongues and the bend at the lower end thereof being exactly equal to the spacing between said grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 917,772 Laun Apr. 13, 1909 1,229,716 Clark June 12, 1917 1,504,522 Sherer Aug. 12, 1924 2,552,180 Kenney May 8, 1951 2,872,145 Goldsholl Feb. 3, 1959 3,001,748 Austin Sept. 26, 1961 3,045,961 Cygan July 24, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 167,802 Australia June 7, 1956 

